Simon Says - Recycle Something

Hi Everyone...welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog...thank you for joining us for last week's challenge...we hope you can join us this week too because...

and the theme for this week is...
RECYCLE SOMETHING

I decided to recycle a pile of Corrugated Packaging which arrived with a Christmas delivery to decorate an Eileen Hull Wrapped Journal

I die cut the Sizzix Scoreboards XL Wrapped Journal Die from Sizzix Matboard and painted the outside spines and inside of the Journal with Frayed Burlap Distress Paint

I cut the corrugated packaging into manageable pieces and highlighted the corrugations with White Gesso using a mini round blending tool

I fixed the panels to both sides of the journal using Distress Collage Medium Matte and trimmed off any excess.

I applied Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Crackle randomly on the outside panels of the journal using a palette knife and also on to a scrap of corrugated packaging that I painted with Worn Lipstick Distress Paint and White Gesso. I scribbled Ground Espresso Distress Crayon over the crackle once it had dried, rubbed it in to the detail with my finger and removed the excess with a slightly damp cloth.

I used Idea-ology Ephemera Expediton, Thrift Shop, Snippets and Botanical Layers and Simon Says Stamp Outline Clustered Leaves die cut from SSS #120 Ultra White card to create a collage on the front of the journal, all fixed in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte. 

I coloured a section of corrugated packaging with Worn Lipstick Distress Paint and White Gesso, applied a coat of Distress Clear Rock Candy Distress Paint and once it had dried, die cut 3 of the smallest flowers from Tim Holtz/Sizzix Tattered Poinsettia BigZ die.

I fixed two of the flowers to the cover and added an Idea-ology Dapper Fastener to the third flower.

I applied a coat of Distress Collage Medium Matte to both sides of the journal and used Ground Espresso Distress Crayon to darken up the edges of the corrugated panels and the painted spine sections. I threaded the elastic through the spine of the journal to hold the signatures (inserts) in place, added a loop of elastic and an Idea-ology Dapper Fastener to the front cover to use as a closure.

I coloured the smaller inner leaf sections from the Outline Clustered Leaves die with Peeled Paint Distress Paint and fixed in place with Distress Collage Medium Matte

You can find all the products I used over at Simon Says Stamp, just click on the links below

Why don't you pop over to the Monday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from my very talented Design Team mates and as always you all have the chance to win a $50 gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time...1pm UK time...2 pm CET to join in...

You can also follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

and if you use Instagram...

please add #sssmchallenge to your entry uploads so we can see them on there too

I look forward to seeing what you create this week...

Have Fun and Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

SUPPLIES:

*** Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my affiliate and product disclosure HERE.

It's Tidy Up Time in The Cubbyhole...

Hi folks, the first week of the New Year has gone already and I'm finally back on track with knowing which day of the week it is. The weather has turned pretty stormy in my neck of the woods, gale force winds, trees and power lines down all over the place and predicted to get worse as the week goes on. With last year's January storms in mind, when Aberdeenshire was cut off from the rest of the country for a couple of days, I'm relieved that the box of  Stampers Anonymous "Secret Stuff" samples was collected yesterday by the nice man from UPS and is now winging it's way across the pond but I'll be like a cat on a hot tin roof until I know it has arrived safely.
But, after all that stamping fun, there's the not insignificant problem of tidying up the debris left behind. Although I'm mega organised when it comes to storage, a place for everything and everything in it's place is my motto, that doesn't seem to apply when I get behind my workdesk.
So I bit the bullet yesterday and made a start, moving this year's Cubbyhole Christmas Decs up on to the project storage area on top of my Tim Holtz products bookcase...

 dismantled my very sophisticated photography studio set-up

and looked out my trusty Cubbyhole tidier-up ready for action

and THAT is as far as I got. One look at the "debris everywhere"surfaces and I was off to the kitchen to console myself with lots of cups of coffee followed by a bit of foraging in the fridge, an afternoon watching TV and a valiant effort to make a big dent in the Christmas sweetie pile. I woke up this morning, relieved that the roof was still attached to the house but disappointed that the magic tidy-up fairy hadn't snuck in under cover of darkness and the realisation that the one who created the mess will be pulling on her big girl pants to tidy it all up.

They do say that many hands make light work, but the resident Furry Hooligan is nowhere to be  seen, probably snuggled up somewhere, taking life easy and doing what he does best.

Just one more cup of coffee and I'm on it
Toodle-oo for now

Hugs Kath xxx

Simon Says - Use Something New

Hi Everyone...I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and wish you all the best for 2019. Welcome to another week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog...thank you for joining us for the last challenge of 2018...we hope you can join us this week too because...

and the theme for this week is...
USE SOMETHING NEW

As it's the first Monday of the month, the Design Team are showcasing products from our very own Simon Says Stamp, you don't have to use them to join in the challenge but we would love to see them if you do.

We are also welcoming a new Designer In The Spotlight for the month of January, the lovely and very talented Wendy aka Dabble (Kinda) Doday. If you haven't visited her blog before then you are in for a real treat!

I decided to mix the new with the old this week and created a card using the Ornate Love stamp set from Simon Says Stamp recent You Are loved release along with two old favourites, Simon Says Stamp Falling Hearts Stencil and Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Bird Crazy and matching Sizzix Framelits.

I trimmed a panel of Distress Watercolor card to measure 4.3/4" by 6.3/4", stamped the large heart and LOVE letters from the Ornate Love stamp set with Versmark and heat embossed with Ranger Superfine White Embossing powder. I diluted Picked Raspberry and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide inks with water and applied a light wash.

I stamped the image from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Crazy Birds with Black Soot Archival and stamped "Love" from Ornate Love with Picked Raspberry randomly on the background.

I stamped the Crazy Birds on to a scrap of Distress Watercolor card with Black Soot Archival, coloured with Picked Raspberry, Fossilized Amber and Weathered Wood Distress Oxides using the Distress Detailer Brush and die-cut using the matching Sizzix Framelits.

I applied Ranger Opague Texture Paste through Simon Says Stamp Falling Hearts stencil

At this stage, I wasn't happy with the white embossed heart and letters...excuse the pun, but you could say I had a change of heart and re-stamped them on Distress Watercolor card using Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide. There is a matching die set for this stamp set but I fussy cut the images with a white border around the edges, helping them stand out better from the background. I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set on to Distress Watercolor card using Black Soot Archival, fussy cut and then fixed the heart, letters, bird and sentiment banner in place with Tim Holtz/Sizzix Mini Foam Adhesive. I doodled around the edge of the panel using a .05 Sakura Micron Pen and fixed it to a 5" x 7" white card blank.

You can find all the products I used over at Simon Says Stamp, just click on the links below

Why don't you pop over to the Monday Challenge Blog and check out the amazing creations from my very talented Design Team mates and as always you all have the chance to win a $50 gift voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time...1pm UK time...2 pm CET to join in...

You can also follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

and if you use Instagram...

please add #sssmchallenge to your entry uploads so we can see them on there too

I look forward to seeing what you create this week...

Have Fun and Happy Crafting

Hugs Kath xxx

SUPPLIES:

*** Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can find my affiliate and product disclosure HERE.

My Favourites of 2018 - Part 2

Hi folks, I don't know about you but I'm still in that post Christmas bubble when I haven't got a clue which day of the week it is unless I sneak a quick glance at the calendar. And it's Friday apparently, time for me to share Part 2 of my Favourite Makes of 2018 and for you to make yourselves a cuppa and find a comfy sofa because I found it hard to choose just one favourite per month in the second half of the year, but hey what's a few extras between friends.

click on the photos below if you would like more details about each project

JULY

the amazing Alcohol Lift Ink arrived in the cubbyhole

 and Simon Says Stamp had a fun Christmas In July Blog Hop

AUGUST

was the month that Shifter Stencils arrived requiring their very own Tag Storage

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER
my thoughts turn to filling up the Christmas Card Box

NOVEMBER

the cubbyhole crew switch to hyper-mode Christmas Card making

DECEMBER

 and I finish the year with a "skidding in by the seat of my pants" Idea-ology Home Decor Etcetera Tag

A big thank you if you've made it this far. 2018 was a fun creative year and I'm looking forward to sharing more cubbyhole playtime and DT projects with you all in 2019.

Hugs and best wishes for 2019

from the Cubbyhole Crew aka The Furry Boy and his Mum

xxx

My Favourites 2018 - Part 1

Hi folks, 2018 has been and gone and they say you shouldn't look back but hey I can't let the old year go without carrying on a blog tradition and sharing some of my favourite makes from the past year.

It will come as no surprise that they all feature products from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous and Sizzix, starting in January with the gorgeous Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Glorious Bouquet. Click on the photos below, if you would like more details about each project.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

and I'm sneaking in an extra one for February, the card I made for the Stampers Anonymous booth at Creativation 2018 using Inventor 3

MARCH

and a whimsical "hats off" tribute to those lightbulb moments that us crafters love

APRIL
a tunnel book adventure

MAY

JUNE

I'll be back in a few days time to share Part 2 of my 2018 Favourites

In the meantime, Happy Crafting
Hugs Kath xxx